Community

Girl Power raised $250,000 as the Family Service Agency of San Mateo County’s Hillsborough Auxiliary staged its all-female "Lipstick, Lavender, & Laughs” benefit April 24 at a private Hillsborough estate. $65,000 of these proceeds is earmarked for FSA’s crucial Mature Worker Program, which helps older adults receive job training and placement services.

The 250 attendees enjoyed delectable cuisine by Kevin Weir & Associates and entertainment by comic and master magician Jay Alexander. Floral decorations were created by Hillsborough Auxiliary members Kate Brown and Mindy Rosenberg and were later auctioned off for the charity.

Benefit co-chairs were Lisa Burris, Gayle Snyder, Nana Wallace and Sibylle Whittam. The Hillsborough Auxiliary President is Patti Rueff. Sponsors for the fundraiser included Ken Olivier and Angela Nomellini, the Middleton Family Foundation, Bob and Lari Nerli, Wells Fargo, and Gilead Sciences.

Family Service Agency of San Mateo County is a San Mateo-based private nonprofit organization that for 59 years has helped children, families and older adults build positive and productive lives through the provision of programs and services. Among FSA’s programs are the Leo J. Ryan Child Development Center in South San Francisco, the Community Infant Toddler Center in San Mateo, the Early Learning Center in Downtown San Mateo, the Children’s Waiting Rooms at the Redwood City Hall of Justice and San Mateo Juvenile Center, The Ways to Work – Family Loan Center in San Mateo, the Senior Employment Center in San Mateo, and the Family Service Intergenerational Center at Fair Oaks.

For more information about Family Service Agency, call 650-403-4300 or visit www.familyserviceagency.org.

The flowers at Filoli

The flowers at Filoli always know how to put on a show, and they were at their very best Mother’s Day Weekend for the Filoli Flower Show, "Kaleidoscope of Flowers.” Beautiful floral arrangements and magnificent table settings complemented the splendor of the Filoli House and Gardens, Filoli’s wonderful greenhouse were open for touring, and musical entertainment took place in the House and on the Tennis Court.

Filoli was built for Mr. and Mrs. William Bowers Bourn, prominent San Franciscans whose chief source of wealth was the Empire Mine, a hard-rock gold mine in Grass Valley, California. Mr. Bourn was also owner and president of the Spring Valley Water Company whose property comprised Crystal Springs Lake and the surrounding lands, areas that are now part of the San Francisco Water Department. Bourn arrived at the unusual name Filoli by combining the first two letters from the key words of his credo: "Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man; Live a good life.” The estate was purchased in 1937 by Mr. and Mrs. William P. Roth, who owned the Matson Navigation Company. Under the Roths’ supervision the property was maintained and the formal garden gained worldwide recognition.

Now operated by Filoli Center, the 654-acre estate is a California State Historic Landmark and listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. This outstanding showcase of early twentieth-century architecture and garden design can be enjoyed by the public during much of the year. For information about Filoli events and hours of operation, Phone (650) 364-8300,ext. 507, or visit www.filoli.org.